Unemployment in Yuba County, California, is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties

In Yuba County, 6.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.

Photo of Ross Kilburn
Data from
County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026
14th
of 58 counties in California
75score /100

More distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.

What drives Yuba County's score

In Yuba County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 82.2. Housing costs come next, at 72.1.

The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Yuba County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.

Yuba County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($74,273, 2024) and people without health insurance (6.4%, 2020 to 2024).

A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.

  • Jobs

    Biggest factor
    82.2 of 100

    Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey

    • Unemployment rate, average over the latest year
      6.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026
      96th percentile
    • Adults 25 to 54 not working
      23.9% · 2020 to 2024
      68th percentile

  • Housing costs

    72.1 of 100

    Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027

    • Renters paying half their income or more in rent
      19.4% · 2020 to 2024
      57th percentile
    • Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income
      25.9% · fiscal year 2027
      86th percentile

  • Collections and bankruptcy

    65.8 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025

    • People with unpaid debt sent to a collector
      24.4% · August 2025
      54th percentile
    • Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people
      208.8 · 2025
      76th percentile

  • Late payments

    60.2 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026

    • People with a credit card behind
      7.5% · August 2025
      79th percentile
    • People with a car or retail loan behind
      4.9% · August 2025
      45th percentile
    • People with a subprime credit score
      41.8% · second quarter of 2026
      55th percentile

  • Income and safety net

    46.1 of 100

    Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey

    • People below the poverty line
      13.5% · 2024
      52nd percentile
    • Children below the poverty line
      18.0% · 2024
      54th percentile
    • People with a disability
      16.7% · 2020 to 2024
      56th percentile
    • People without health insurance
      6.4% · 2020 to 2024
      35th percentile
    • Median household income (lower income, longer bar)
      $74,273 · 2024
      30th percentile

Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.

Where the money in Yuba County comes from

Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Yuba County, 13.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.

Cents of every dollar of income, 2024

Yuba County

57 10 33

California

63 21 17

United States

61 21 18
  • Pay from work
  • Investments and rent
  • Benefit checks
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, 2024. Pay from work is total income minus the other two, so the three add to 100.

In Yuba County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 33.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks

In Yuba County, California, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.

  • Benefit checks
  • Pay from work
0%40%80% 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 0%40%80% 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, Yuba County, California American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/california/yuba-county-ca/
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SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.

The share of households in Yuba County getting SNAP food aid rose to 19.3%, the highest on the chart

Biggest rise: 2009 to 2010, reaching 15.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Yuba County, California.

0%10%20% 13.7%19.3% 2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 0%10%20% 13.7%19.3% 20092011201320152017201920212024
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/california/yuba-county-ca/
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How Yuba County has changed

Yuba County's population doubled to 87,469, the highest on the chart

Biggest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 71,607. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Yuba County, California.

045,00090,000 44,66087,469 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 045,00090,000 44,66087,469 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/california/yuba-county-ca/
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The number of jobs located in Yuba County had its largest rise, from 16,178 in 2015 to 18,956 in 2020.

The number of jobs located in Yuba County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 1990 level

Low on the chart: 15,780 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Yuba County, California.

015,00030,000 18,85220,975 19901995200020052010201520202025 015,00030,000 18,85220,975 19901995200020052010201520202025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/california/yuba-county-ca/
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MeasureThenNowSource
Unemployment rateBLS LAUS 1990 10.7% 2025 7.1% BLS LAUS
People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE 1989 19.7% 2024 13.5% Census SAIPE
Median household incomeCensus SAIPE 1989 $20,122 2024 $74,273 Census SAIPE

The table uses 7.1% for 2025; the score uses 6.7% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.

Dated events in Yuba County's history

  1. 1850

    Yuba County was one of California's original counties, formed in 1850 at the time of statehood, with parts of its territory later given to Placer County in 1851, Nevada County in 1851, and Sierra County in 1852. Wikipedia

  2. 1997

    A flash flood in January 1997 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database

  3. 1997

    A wildfire in September 1997 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  4. 1999

    A wildfire in October 1999 did $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  5. 2006

    A flood in January 2006 did $4.9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  6. 2020

    The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 81,575, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau

  7. Since 1964

    25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Yuba County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA

Yuba County beside its neighbors

Of the six counties that border Yuba County, one scores higher. Of the group, Yuba County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (33.0%).

CountyDistress scoreScoreRank in its state Poverty rateBenefit checks, share of incomeBenefit checks
Butte County, CA 81 11th of 58 18.7% 29.7%
Yuba County, CA 75 14th of 58 13.5% 33.0%
Sutter County, CA 69 20th of 58 12.6% 25.6%
Plumas County, CA 53 34th of 58 13.0% 30.9%
Sierra County, CA 48 36th of 58 13.5% 27.2%
Nevada County, CA 39 43rd of 58 9.6% 21.4%
Placer County, CA 25 53rd of 58 6.8% 15.1%

Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.

Is Yuba County the poorest county in California?

No, Yuba County's poverty rate was 13.5% in 2024, 26th highest of 58 in California (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Trinity County, at 23.0%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Yuba County ranks 14th of 58 in the state.

If you're behind on your mortgage in Yuba County

Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.

California foreclosure guide →

The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.

Download the CSV for Yuba County · Every U.S. county (CSV)

Cite this Yuba County, California, scores 75 on the County Distress Index (data through Sep 2026): more distressed than 75% of U.S. counties · American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/california/yuba-county-ca/

Sources and method

  • American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
  • Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
  • Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
  • U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Yuba County comes from, 2024.
  • History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.